Mountain West Conference News and Notes
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - AIR FORCE: Ryan Harrison again led the Air Force Falcons as he knocked through three field goals in the academy's 16-7 win over Army as part of the Commander-in-Chief series at Michie Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The usually productive rushing attack for the Falcons finished with just 142 yards on 49 attempts, while quarterback Tim Jefferson chipped in 32 yards on 3-of-8 passing as the academy won its fourth straight outing. The Falcons now play the first of back-to-back home games on Saturday as they entertain the Colorado State Rams at Falcon Stadium. Last season, Air Force picked up a resounding 45-21 win over the Rams, which means the academy leads the all-time series by a count of 26-19-1.
BYU: The Cougars needed some late heroics on Saturday against Colorado State and found them in Dennis Pitta who scored on a 17-yard pass play with just 22 seconds to play in the team's 45-42 win over the Rams. Pitta and Austin Collie ripped up the CSU secondary as they registered 12 and nine receptions, respectively, leading to a combined 331 yards and five touchdowns. Getting the ball to the duo was the responsibility of Max Hall who finished 28-of-35 for 389 yards and the five scores. The final home game of the season for the Cougars, who remain at No. 17 in the AP Poll this week, takes place this weekend as the team hosts the San Diego State Aztecs. BYU, which owns a 24-7-1 advantage in the all-time series, blew out SDSU a season ago in a 48-27 decision.
COLORADO STATE: Billy Farris threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns and Gartrell Johnson generated a team-best 102 yards and a score on 18 carries, but it wasn't quite enough as the Rams bowed to nationally-ranked BYU by three points on Saturday, 45-42. Wideout Dion Morton reeled in six passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns, but the defense for CSU failed to hold up its end of the bargain in the waning moments of the hard-luck loss. The Rams are back in action this Saturday as they visit Air Force. Colorado State fell hard to the Falcons a season ago in a 45-21 decision, which means the Rams now trail in the all-time series by a count of 26-19-1.
NEW MEXICO: The Lobos defense came to play on Saturday, limiting nationally- ranked Utah to a mere 13 points, but with UNM scoring just 10 it was still a tally in the loss column. Quarterback Brad Gruner converted 16-of-25 passes for 170 yards and also gained a team-high 57 yards on the ground, while Rodney Ferguson fought his way for 34 yards and a score on 13 attempts in the setback. With just two games remaining in the regular season, the Lobos head to UNLV this weekend before heading off to Colorado State. Against the Rebels, UNM has won nine of the 15 meetings thanks to a 27-6 win in last year's bout.
SAN DIEGO STATE: Ryan Lindley completed 28-of-52 passes for 311 yards and a score, but he was also sacked three times in the team's fifth consecutive setback on Saturday, a 35-10 decision against Wyoming on the road. With a run defense that ranked last in the FBS with 292.8 ypg allowed heading into the week, the Aztecs were still run over by the Cowboys to the tune of 378 yards on the ground and 544 yards of total offense overall. Next up for the Aztecs is a long-awaited break in the action before closing out the regular season with games against BYU on the road and home dates versus Utah and UNLV.
TCU: Andy Dalton threw for 151 yards and three touchdowns as the Horned Frogs jumped the UNLV Rebels in a 44-14 decision in Las Vegas on Saturday. Dalton completed 16-of-29 passes for the visitors and was second in rushing for the group with his 52 yards on nine carries, trailing only Aaron Brown and his 60 yards and a score on nine attempts as well. The Horned Frogs, who took a step forward in the AP Poll on Sunday to No. 11, play the second half of back-to- back road games on Thursday as they visit Utah for an MWC showdown at Rice- Eccles Stadium. Last season, TCU bowed in a 27-20 final, which means the Frogs have now lost four of their five bouts against the Utes.
UNLV: The Rebels offense ran into a nasty TCU defense on Saturday, one that held the home team to just 67 yards passing and 175 yards of total offense in a 44-14 setback at Sam Boyd Stadium. Omar Clayton converted just 5-of-13 passes for 45 yards, one touchdown and one pick, while Frank Summers was limited to a mere nine yards rushing on six carries. The Rebels now settle in for the middle game of a three-game home set on Saturday versus New Mexico. Last season, the Lobos picked up a 27-6 win against UNLV, which means UNM now owns a 9-6 advantage in the all-time series.
UTAH: A 10-yard touchdown pass from Brian Johnson to Brent Casteel with 3:15 remaining in the third quarter proved to be the difference as the Utes held on to defeat New Mexico on Saturday by a score of 13-10 in Albuquerque. Johnson finished the game 23-of-32 for 195 yards and an interception, while running back Matt Asiata chipped in a game-high 80 yards rushing on 12 attempts. Perhaps the best kicker in the MWC, Louie Sakoda knocked through a pair of field goals (43 and 38 yards) to do his part. The Utes, who remained at 10 in the most current AP Poll, are forced into a short week this time around as they prepare for a meeting with TCU at home in Salt Lake City on Thursday. Utah, which won last year's bout with the Horned Frogs by a score of 27-20, is now 4-1 versus TCU in the all-time series.
WYOMING: Devin Moore ran for a game-high 234 yards and three touchdowns as he led the Cowboys to a 35-10 win against the San Diego State Aztecs at War Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Moore carried the ball 24 times for the Cowboys as they picked up their first conference win of the season and snapped a five-game slide in the process. Quarterback Chris Stutzriem converted 6-of-10 passes for 166 yards and a score as the team stuck to just one signal-caller for the entire afternoon. The Cowboys take a break from Mountain West Conference play this coming weekend as they pay a visit to the Tennessee Volunteers. The most recent meeting between the squads took place back in 2002 with the Vols claiming a 47-7 victory, which means Wyoming goes into this contest trailing in the all-time series, 2-0.
11/03 09:42:08 ET